As the most beautiful time of the year is arriving, for Luong Vinh Cuu, 45, it is the busiest time of the year producing Christmas stars.

According to Cuu, his company makes and sells more than 30,000 Christmas stars a year, accounting for 80 to 85 percent of the market in Ho Chi Minh City.

When Cuu was a kid, he had a soft spot for Christmas symbols such as Santa's grotto, Virgin Mary palanquins, statues of the Child Jesus, Christmas trees, star lanterns with bamboo frames covered in glass paper, and more.

In 1996, when accessing documents about electronics and super-bright LED technology in college, Cuu came up with the idea of ​​applying these scientific advances to Christmas stars.

A year later, he successfully created his first electronic Christmas star lights when he was still a sophomore. 

In 2002, Cuu established his company focusing on producing Christmas stars. 

After more than 20 years, Cuu now has two workshops with 40 employees and became one of the biggest producers of Christmas decoration stars in Ho Chi Minh City.

Since the company's founding, Cuu and his family has undergone many mishaps, including having to sell their house to compensate for losses in 2002. 

However, what has prodded Vinh Cuu to persevere with the profession is the appreciation and trust that customers show him.

“There are people around 80 to 90 years old who still text me on Christmas Eve to express their gratitude towards me, compliment my beautiful products and send me affectionate Christmas wishes,” Cuu said.

“This gives me the motivation to keep going.”

Production process

The Christmas star production process at Cuu’s workshop at 41 Nghia Hoa Street, Ward 6, Tan Binh District normally starts with designing the star on a piece of software.

Luong Vinh Cuu, 45, has produced Christmas stars for over the past 20 years in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Minh Chau / Tuoi Tre News

Then, Cuu would build a 3D model of the product, calculate materials before his staff conduct electrical circuits and process the circuit boards.

The final stages are assembling the star frame, printing patterns and installing other accessories.

An employee is conducting an electrical test on a star to ensure its brightness and color accuracy. Photo: Minh Chau / Tuoi Tre News

On average, Cuu's two workshops are capable of producing 400 to 500 stars a day.

Currently, he provides Christmas stars in a variety of sizes and designs. 

The smallest star measures 50 centimeters and fetches from VND200,000 to VND300,000 (US$8.24 - 12.36), while the largest star with a size of eight meters costs up to VND50 million ($2,060.07).

His customers often prefer stars of about one meter, priced from VND500,000 to VND1 million ($20.60 - 41.20).

An eight-meter Christmas star fetches up to VND50 million ($2,060.07). This type of design is usually used by churches, restaurants, and bookstores. Photo: Minh Chau / Tuoi Tre News

According to Cuu, a star produced by his company can be used for at least two years, or even up to seven to eight years if well taken care of. 

“Many customers come back after three years to buy a new star, not necessarily because their star is broken, but because they want to change to another model," he said.

Cuu's workshops operate throughout the year to ensure that goods are reserved in time for the Christmas season. 

The busiest period is two months before Christmas, during which the workshops operate 24/7 with workers changing shifts continuously. 

The venues even operate late until 10:00 pm every day since late August.

An employee is completing the final steps for a Christmas star at Cuu’s workshop. Photo: Minh Chau / Tuoi Tre News

New product

Currently, Cuu is planning to develop a Christmas tree model based entirely on an electronic platform: using full-color LED technology and applying an IC microprocessor to program letters and colors.

Accordingly, the tree is built from rectangular frames, easy to disassemble and pack, estimated to be about 3 - 4.5 meters high, and priced at VND25 million - VND35 million ($1,030.03 - 1,442.05).

A new Christmas tree design by Cuu’s company. Photo: Minh Chau / Tuoi Tre News

Cuu launched a new model this Christmas because this year's market is weak and purchasing power has slowed down. 

So he has spent time working on a new product to attract more customers.

“I feel that the economic situation is somewhat more difficult than in previous years,”  he said.

“Every year at this time, people buy decorations in a big way, but this year, I was told by retailers that the purchasing power was sporadic.

“According to my analysis as well as customer feedback, this year's market may be about four to five days slower than previous years.”

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